🥢 Braised Pork with Preserved Vegetables - A Hong Kong-inspired dish for home entertaining

Editor's Preface

When it comes to Hong Kong home cooking, everyone knows braised pork belly with preserved vegetables! The perfectly balanced pork belly is paired with the savory and fragrant preserved vegetables, creating a melt-in-your-mouth flavor without being greasy. Perfect for Chinese dinners or gatherings with friends and family. I found it complex at first, so I diligently tried several times to deconstruct it with a chef. Now, I'm sharing the super detailed process and tips to ensure you can make it perfectly at a local restaurant!

🛒 Ingredients preparation

• Pork belly with skin 450g

• 200g sweet and salty pickled mustard greens

• 2 slices of ginger

• 1 green onion

• 1 tablespoon shallot

• 2 cloves of garlic (crushed)

• 1-2 tablespoons of dark soy sauce

• 2 tablespoons light soy sauce

• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce

• 1 tablespoon rose wine/rice wine

• 2 tablespoons sugar

• 10-20g rock sugar (can be used instead of granulated sugar)

• 1/2 teaspoon five-spice powder

• 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine (for flavor)

• 1 teaspoon cornstarch

• Chicken broth/water as needed

• a little sesame oil

🍖 Detailed production process

1️⃣ Pre-processing of preserved vegetables

• Soak the preserved vegetables in clean water for 30 minutes to 2 hours, changing the water several times to wash away the sand.

• After washing, squeeze out the water and cut into small pieces.

• Heat oil in a wok, add preserved vegetables and stir-fry until dry. Then add sugar and light soy sauce and stir-fry until fragrant. Set aside.

2️⃣ Remove the smell of pork belly by boiling it in water

• Put the pork belly into the pot with frozen water, add ginger slices and scallions and cook for 15 minutes to remove blood and impurities.

• Take it out and wipe it dry, prick the skin a few times with a fork, and apply soy sauce to color it.

3️⃣ Fried pork skin

• Heat oil in a wok, place the pork belly skin side down, and fry until the skin is golden brown (be careful not to splash the oil). Remove from the wok and cut into 1cm thick slices. Don't cut too thin!

4️⃣ Marinated pork belly

• Mix the chopped pork belly with light soy sauce, oyster sauce, rose wine, five-spice powder, sugar, cornstarch, shallots and minced garlic, and marinate for at least 30 minutes.

5️⃣ Stir-fry preserved vegetables to enhance flavor

• Add oil to the original wok, add dried onions, ginger and garlic, stir-fry until fragrant, add preserved vegetables and mix well, add dark soy sauce, sugar, water or chicken broth and stir-fry until it becomes sauce.

6️⃣ Meat Shop Preserved Vegetables

• Place 1/3 of the preserved vegetables on the bottom of the steaming bowl, then arrange the sliced ​​pork belly (skin facing down), and then cover with the remaining preserved vegetables and their juice.

• Press firmly, wrap with tin foil, and steam over high heat for 2-3 hours until the meat is tender.

7️⃣ Finishing with sauce

• After steaming, pour the sauce out of the small pot, cover with cornstarch water, add sesame oil and turn off the heat. Finally, transfer the pork with preserved vegetables to a plate and pour the hot sauce on it.

💡 Editor's Tips

• It is best to choose pork belly with distinct layers of fat and lean meat, as it will look smoother and more tender.

• Preserved vegetables can be stir-fried with salty and sweet ingredients to make the aroma more prominent.

• The skin should be fried until golden brown and will not be soft after steaming.

• The steaming time should not be too short, 2-3 hours will allow the meat to have a first-class collagen texture.

• Finally, wrap it in tin foil and steam it to ensure even steam and delicious meat juice.

😋 Eating experience

The authentic Braised Pork with Preserved Vegetables is salty and fragrant, the pork belly falls apart easily when you pick it up, and the preserved vegetables absorb the meat juices. It goes perfectly with rice, and both the elders and children can’t stop eating it. It is a perfect choice for a family feast!

Start cooking now and give it a try. You can cook Braised Pork with Preserved Vegetables to masterful level at home!